U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,487 discloses a dispensing package for fluid products that includes a container having a body for holding a product to be dispensed and a finish with an open mouth. A closure base includes a skirt externally secured to the container finish and a wall coaxial with the container mouth. A collar has a deck with a central opening aligned with the mouth and a wall secured to the wall on the closure base. A dispensing valve of flexible resilient elastomeric construction has a peripheral portion captured between the collar deck and the base wall for securing the valve in position and simultaneously functioning as a seal between the base and the collar. A lid is integrally hinged to the collar or to the base.
Although the dispensing closure and package disclosed in the noted patent address problems theretofore extant in the art, further improvements remain desirable. In particular, it is desirable to provide a fluid dispensing closure of the subject type in which the dispensing valve and the valve retention collar are disposed within the closure base so as to provide a low profile appearance, inhibit removal of the collar and the valve and/or facilitate cleaning of the closure deck. A general object of the present invention is to provide a fluid dispensing closure, a dispensing package and a method of making a fluid dispensing closure that address one or more of these objectives.
A fluid dispensing closure in accordance with one aspect of the present invention includes a closure base having a deck, a skirt for securement to a container finish and a recess in the deck. The recess includes a first annular wall extending from the deck within the skirt, a second annular wall extending radially inwardly from the first annular wall at a position spaced from the deck, and a third annular wall extending toward the deck from an inner periphery of the second annular wall. A dispensing valve of flexible resilient elastomeric construction has a peripheral portion captured in compression between a collar and the third annular wall, and a central portion with at least one dispensing slit. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the collar includes a flat annular deck, and a first annular wall extending from an outer periphery of the flat annular wall and engaging the third annular wall on the base to secure the collar and the valve to the base such that the outer surface of the annular deck of the collar is flush with the outer surface of the deck of the closure base. In the most preferred embodiment of the invention, these outer surfaces are in a plane that is at an acute angle to the axis of the closure base skirt so that any moisture that may collect on the outer surfaces tends to drain from the surfaces. Other aspects of the invention contemplate a fluid dispensing package that includes such a closure, and a method of making such a fluid dispensing closure.